Slices of Life
by Mariel1
Summary: What do the characters of The Santa Clause and its sequels get up to when they're just going about their everyday lives? More than you might think! Series of one-shots.
1. Smile

"Slices of Life"

_Note:__ I know, I know. I've already got two unfinished TSC stories going, so why would I start another one? Simple. "It's A Boy" focuses on Tooth Fairy's history, and for the most part it has very little to do with the other movie characters. "A Strange Bond" is basically about Tooth Fairy and (to a smaller extent) Alpha dealing with grief, falling in love, and learning a few bombshell secrets about Fairy history. This doesn't leave a whole lot of room for the rest of the characters to do more than make cameos, does it? Alpha and Tooth Fairy will definitely make an appearance or two, but they won't be front-and-center here._

_So, this isn't so much a chapter fic as it is a series of one-shots. It's also where I'll put scenes and ideas that don't really fit in anywhere else. I don't own anything except for my OC's, The Hollow, and Tooth Fairy's hometown (which might not even show up here). Hope you enjoy it!_

"1. Smile"

Santa winced as Mother Nature tapped her gavel on the block to signal the end of yet another Council meeting, but it had nothing to do with the sound. He probed at one of his back molars with his tongue and rubbed at his cheek. Most of the other Council members didn't notice this as they began to disperse, but Tooth Fairy had seen it, and he frowned.

"You okay, Santa?"

Santa quickly lowered his hand from his cheek. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Interesting meeting today."

"Heh heh! Yeah, Sandman's pretty serious about the importance of sleep." Tooth Fairy gave a wry smile. It was Sandman who had called the meeting, but he had yawned so much throughout his entire spiel that he'd had the rest of the Council joining in.

Cupid flew over them on his way out, and he turned just long enough to chime in. "Yeah, if he'd just go on TV to give one of those talks of his, maybe insomnia wouldn't be so rampant."

"Hey, that's not fair," Santa protested, "It takes a lot out of you to go all around the world in a single night. And _I _only do it once a year. I don't know how these guys do it."

Tooth Fairy shrugged uncomfortably, and muttered, "You get used to it."

"I'm just sayin'," Cupid shrugged, flying off.

Tooth Fairy called after him, "And put some _pants _on! Nobody wants to see your butt!"

"Nobody asked you to look!" Cupid laughed as he disappeared out the door.

"_I'm gonna go bleach my eyeballs!_" Tooth Fairy hollered back.

Santa laughed at that, but he quickly stopped as pain lanced through his jaw, and he cupped his cheek again.

"As if I looked on pur-" Tooth Fairy cut himself off and turned business-like. "Ooh...Toothache, huh? I _warned_ you about those cookies."

"Hey," Santa lowered his hand and looked offended. "those cravings came with the change. I brush between meals, I floss every day-"

"Uh-huh. How many _times _a day?" Tooth Fairy folded his arms and squinted, clearly skeptical.

"I...whenever I brush?" The last time he had been grilled about his dental habits, his mother was still packing his school lunches!

"Use mouthwash?"

Santa rolled his eyes. "Look, it's _not_ the sugar. A bit of walnut shell made it into a piece of apple cake I had a few days ago, but it's fine. So, how's Alpha? It's not like her to miss a meeting."

"She's fine, and nice try." Tooth Fairy beckoned with a finger. "Open up."

Santa reluctantly opened his mouth, feeling like a prized idiot as the Tooth Fairy pulled a pen light from one of his many coat pockets and had a look. "Ou ee' e uh oi?"

Tooth Fairy lowered the pen light. "What?"

Santa repeated himself, more clearly this time. "You need me to point?"

"No, but you might as well," Tooth Fairy raised the light again, and he 'hmmed' when Santa pointed at the offending tooth. "Ahh, I see it...left quadrant, back molar. Cracked right down the middle, with signs of an infection beginning to set in around the gum line."

Tooth Fairy clicked off his light and put it away, and Santa closed his mouth.

"So, what's the prognosis, doc?" Santa tried to sound flippant, but the word 'infection' had thrown him a bit.

This caused Tooth Fairy to roll his eyes. "Nah. I would've _liked_ to be a dentist. That, or maybe a football player. But it just wasn't in the cards. Anyway, you wanna get that taken care of, ASAP. Dental infections are nothing to mess around with."

Santa gave a serious nod, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "You think it'll need to be _pulled?_"

"Can't tell without an X-ray, but at least the dentist will numb you up first. Not like when you tried to yank out a chopper to get me to take ya to the North Pole." He smirked.

"That's different; I was desperate."

Tooth Fairy could spot a nervous patient from a mile away, and rather than rib the other man about it he gave him a rough pat on the back. "Ahh, you'll have your smile back in no time. Go set up an appointment with...who's the dentist up here now?"

"Dr. Hismus, believe it or not. Not the same 'Dr. Hismus', but his wife. She takes care of everyone's teeth, and he handles everything else." Santa _did_ relax a little bit. If a tooth expert wasn't overly concerned about it, he saw no reason to panic.

"Oh, I don't think I've met her." Tooth Fairy mused, then stifled a yawn. "Well, I'm gonna go home and get some shut-eye. Lemme know how it went."

"Uh-huh. Thanks, Roy."

"Don't mention it." Tooth Fairy smiled and turned to go.

"_Is_ Alpha okay? A few days ago, you said she was a bit queasy."

"Oh, did I?"

Santa smirked. "Anything you wanna tell me?"

Tooth Fairy made a show of looking thoughtful, turning his eyes to the ceiling for a moment before clicking his tongue and giving a cheeky grin. "Nope!"

Santa rolled his eyes. "You're full of _beans, _Molinator!"

"Hahahahaha!"

* * *

Dr. Hismus (or Sonia, as she asked him to call her to avoid confusion) pointed to the X-ray as she pushed a stray tendril of ash-blond hair out of her face. "Now, as you can see, the roots are still intact. Tooth Fairy...er, sorry, _Roy..._was smart to tell you to get this taken care of now, though. There's no infection _yet,_ but if you let it go, it's only a matter of time. You'll need a crown, and I'll start you on a round of Amoxicillin just to be safe, but I think we can save the tooth."

"That's a relief," Santa fidgeted with the little paper bib he wore. He hated those things at the best of times, but with a beard it was ten times as uncomfortable.

The next couple of hours were not Santa's idea of a good time, and he spent a lot of time staring at the dental chart that hung on the opposite wall as he listened to the little Elf woman chatter away about whatever came to mind. He never understood why dentists liked to ask questions while their hands were in a person's mouth. How was he supposed to answer?

"Is Bernard giving you a hard time these days?"

"Uh-uh," Santa considered trying to tell her that it was usually Curtis who got on his nerves, but that wouldn't have been professional, and besides, he needed to spit.

"He's really mellowed since little Buddy was born," Sonia observed.

"Uh-huh."

"Feeling any pain?"

"Uh-uh."

"Good. We should be done within the next half hour." She said brightly.

* * *

A few days later, Tooth Fairy dropped by to see how Santa was doing...and to make sure he had actually had his tooth taken care of. He spotted someone else first, however. "Hey, Bernard, how's things?"

Bernard's answering smile was a terse one. "Busy. I'd sure like to get my hands on whoever came up with April Fool's Day."

"Pretty sure they're dead," Tooth Fairy shrugged. He wrinkled his nose a bit. _What's that stench?_

The Elf went on as if he hadn't spoken. "Someone rigged air horns to the underside of every chair, stool, and toilet seat, but I think we finally got them all. Someone decided to replicate a box of stink bombs in the Panagraph, and one of them went off."

"Is _that _what I smell? I thought it was wafting over from the reindeer stables." Tooth Fairy was chuckling.

"It _is._ Someone gave Prancer extra apples last night. And I discovered a whoopee cushion on my chair, but only after I sat on it. Will you stop laughing?" Bernard clenched his fists. "It's not funny!"

"You're right...it's _hilarious!_" Tooth Fairy doubled over and slapped his knee.

"Hey," Bernard fought a grin; the man's laughter was contagious! "I've known you since you were two months old and couldn't keep your cookies down, so have a little respect."

"You're right, I'm-I'm sorry, I...hahahahaha!" Tooth Fairy covered his mouth, then roughly rubbed at his face to snap himself out of it. "Okay, okay, sorry. I'm done."

"Better be." Bernard glared, and then he couldn't hold it in anymore. He snickered, which set the Tooth Fairy off again, and they went to sit down. The floor was mostly clear, as it was around lunchtime, and most of the Elves were on break.

Tooth Fairy sat down without looking, and went wide-eyed as a loud, obnoxious noise echoed throughout the room. Now it was Bernard's turn to laugh, and Tooth Fairy held up the spent whoopee cushion and called out, "That wasn't me. Who put this on my seat?"

Aside from Bernard and Tooth Fairy, everyone there raised a hand.

Tooth Fairy casually tossed the pink rubber pancake to a passing Elf, who caught it and bowed with a flourish before walking off...wearing it like it was a hat. "Something in the water today?"

"Funny you should mention that," Bernard folded his arms and jiggled his leg a bit. "You might want to have Alpha give a lecture about the hazards of laughter potions. Someone from The Hollow...Not saying who, but he likes to dye his hair crazy colors...That someone spiked the cocoa last night, and we're still dealing with the fallout."

Tooth Fairy snorted. "I knew things were getting too quiet on the Robert front..."

"Normally I wouldn't care all that much. But when it happens during work hours, where dangerous equipment is in use, I have to put my foot down."

"No, absolutely. I'll mention it to her when I get back. But that's not why I came here. How's Santa doing?"

Bernard touched the side of his own face with a fingertip. "It's about his tooth, right? He got it taken care of. He has a temporary crown for now, but he's...oh, there he is."

Santa jogged down the steps, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, Roy! Bernard, are you sitting down on the job again?"

Bernard shot quickly to his feet. "No, I was just explaining about 'the incident'."

"Oh yeah," Santa was still grinning, showing no sign of his previous dental pain. "Yesterday was _crazy. _That was the hardest I've laughed in years."

Curtis, who was still in a rather silly mood, sidled up behind Bernard and stole his beret before running off with it.

"Wh-" Bernard clapped his hands on top of his curls, but he was too late, and he quickly gave chase. "Come back here, you!"

If Tooth Fairy had still been standing, he would've had to sit down. Santa joined him, sitting in the chair that Bernard had just vacated, and the two men laughed like a couple of loons while the Head Elf chased Curtis out of the workshop and into the street.

"Bernard's gonna _kill_ him when he catches up..." Tooth Fairy wiped at his eye.

"Nah, he won't catch up. Even if he didn't have a bad knee, he's been running damage control all day. He'll sleep well tonight." Santa sighed as the laughing fit passed. "So, what brings you here?"

"Just checking up." Tooth Fairy pointed to Santa's mouth. "Looks like you _did _get your smile back."

Bernard came storming back in, sans his beret, and disappeared into his office to sulk.

Santa snickered, feeling guilty for laughing, but it _was _pretty darn funny! "Yeah. And I got my tooth fixed, too."

_Note:__ And that seems like a good place to end this 'chapter'. :)_


	2. Past Deeds

"Slices of Life

_Notes:__ Alpha runs into an unexpected snowstorm during a hunt and finds Jack Frost at the center of it. She invites him back to 'The Pale Horse' for a drink and a chat, and eventually gets the whole story out of him. Content warning for alcohol consumption. _

_Mild spoilers for things I haven't gotten around to writing yet! This takes place a few years after 'A Strange Bond', and I tried to keep things a bit vague. Myles belongs to SafyreSky, and he makes a brief appearance at the end. Again: spoiler alert!_

"2. Past Deeds"

Alpha stifled a sneeze as the cold stung her sensitive nose. The moon was bright and full, and she left a trail of large paw prints in her wake as she crunched through the dusting of snow that must have fallen that evening. For that time of the year, in that region of the world, unseasonable cold snaps were hardly unheard of. No doubt the local weather channel would touch briefly on it, joking about people having to dig out their winter clothes again. It had happened before, and the humans probably wouldn't bat an eye.

Something about this particular cold snap didn't feel right to Alpha, though. There wasn't enough snow about to muffle the sounds of a forest at night, but it was quiet all the same, and the air hummed with an odd sort of tension. Something was about to happen.

She stopped and sniffed the air. No human scent, not even the slightest whiff. She caught the unmistakable, pungent odor of fox territorial markers. The usual smell of rodents under the fallen leaves were present as well, but she ignored those; she was after something much bigger. She had been trailing a large elk; a lone bull, old and tough. The people of The Hollow knew how to stew such meat until it was fork tender, and their meat stores were getting a bit low. This would be a prize indeed!

Still, such animals didn't get to be so old by being stupid, and Alpha had been on the trail of this one for three hours now.

_Maybe I should break off the hunt and try for something smaller..._

The Hollow needed meat, but she could have brought down three whitetails in the amount of time she had spent stalking 'the grandfather', as she had come to think of him. For all she knew, The Hollow had already feasted on his progeny, and yet here he still grazed and bred and fought and lived. The beast had earned the right to live, and with it Alpha's respect.

The deer were likely to be more tender anyway. Alpha sighed and adjusted the pack on her back that contained a hunting knife, some twine, a thermos of hot tea, and a few sandwiches meant for her supper. It was time to move on. "All right, grandfather. Ye live another night."

As she turned to go, the temperature plummeted and a sudden gust of wind nearly knocked her flat on her face. Howling wind replaced the silence, and as Alpha turned to face into it she had to close her eyes against the stinging sleet that lashed at her face. Or was it hail? The ice pellets felt large to her, but visibility was so poor that she couldn't tell.

Sleet was replaced by thick snow, and Alpha found herself in the middle of a white-out. She flattened her ears and hunkered down low, eyes slitted against the wind as the snow steadily built up around her. _I have to get out of here! What on Earth could have gotten into Mother Nature?_

Then Alpha sensed something less than a mile away. Someone was using magic, and it was a magic she had encountered three times before. Every Halloween since she had taken over as the Leader of The Hollow, Jack Frost had provided several gorgeous, elaborate ice sculptures for their annual Halloween party. These sculptures only melted when Jack willed them to, and his magic lingered in The Hollow well into the Holiday season, keeping his precious creations whole and beautiful. Alpha suspected that it was as much a pride thing for Jack as it was a favor to them, but everyone enjoyed the sculptures, and Punky eventually dismantled them to be used in drinks with Jack's permission.

This was the same kind of magic Alpha sensed now, but something was very wrong. This seemed like an attack, but that didn't quite fit; who or what would he be attacking in the middle of nowhere?

Alpha couldn't see where she was going, but she turned once more to face into the wind. She walked on all fours to lower her center of gravity and to avoid being blown away, head down and eyes narrowed. Her ears perked as she thought she heard him yelling, but she couldn't make out the words.

She course-corrected and pressed onward, and the wind grew even more violent. At one point, a stick whipped past her and stung her cheek, making her thankful for her thick fur, and as she approached the eye of the storm a strong gust of wind sent her rolling in the snow. _Come on, Jackie-boy, play fair..._

As if in answer to her unspoken thought, Jack's voice, barely audible over the keening wind, reached her ears. "It's not _fair!_"

_There he is._ Alpha shook out her pelt and loped forward, stumbling as she reached the eye of the storm, and there he stood in his white suit with his back to her. Wind and snow swirled around them like an icy tornado, and Alpha might not have even seen him if it wasn't for the slightest glimpse of blue; the back of Jack's neck and the tips of his pointed ears were blue as he froze the trees in front of him. Glad she was that she'd approached him from the back! Alpha rose up to stand on two legs and dusted snow from her palms before cupping her hands around her muzzle and hollering, "_Oi! Jack!_"

The Sprite whipped around and inhaled to freeze her too, a terrible look in his blue eyes as he prepared to freeze whoever it was that had dared to startle him.

"Shite!" Alpha half turned away and raised one arm in a useless attempt to shield her face as she braced herself for the popsicle treatment.

The blue tinge left Jack's face as he caught himself in time, absolutely horrified by what he had almost done. The swirling winds died down, and the snow settled about them in thick drifts that buried the Werewolf's legs up to the knees. "Alpha? What are you doing here?"

The Werewolf straightened once more and gave a canine sneeze, then casually put her hands on her hips. "Note to self: never sneak up on an angry Sprite."

_Okay...just act natural. _Jack quickly recovered and pasted on a fake smile. "Sorry. How long have you been standing there?"

Alpha high-stepped it through the snow, which got shallower as she drew nearer to him. "Not long. I'd no idea you were here at all. I was tracking an elk when the weather turned. Isn't it the wrong time o' year for a blizzard in these parts?"

Jack folded his arms and tried for an air of dignified annoyance. "Aren't we nosy all of a sudden?"

Alpha shrugged and spread her large, clawed hands. "Ye want me to go? Say the word, and I'm gone. Ye can't expect me not to investigate something out of place, though. If we were in a horror movie, I'd probably be the first one to go, because _I'm _the dafty who hears a sound and makes a beeline for it to find out who or what made it."

_No, don't leave! And don't try to make me laugh, because that's not what I need. I need...what do I need? _"I didn't say I wanted you _gone._ Call it...oh, a whim of the weather, if you will. By the way, have you ever seen what Mother Nature can do when El Niño hits? Whoa!"

Alpha wasn't sure just how much leeway Jack Frost actually got with Mother Nature when it came to the weather, but she recognized a deflection when she saw it. "Nice 'bean dip'."

Jack chuckled uncertainly and wondered if they had been having two different conversations without his knowledge. "Beg pardon?"

"Oh, you know," she smirked, "When you're at a party and someone starts talking about an off-limits subject, then the other person says, 'Oh yes, mm-hmm, that's interesting. Have you tried the bean dip?' Anyway, I can take a hint."

"Ohhh. 'Bean dip'. I like it! I'll have to borrow that sometime." He folded his arms, his body language uncharacteristically closed off. "I'd rather not get into it, though, if it's all the same to you."

"Mm. That's up to you." She adjusted her pack and considered what to do next. There was still time to hunt, at least four hours, but Jack was a friend and he was visibly upset.

"So! What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Och, look up." She pointed to the moon, which gave them enough light to clearly see each other by, especially with the newly-fallen snow. "I hunt other times when I'm needed, but I _always_ hunt on nights with a full moon; I'm stuck in this form for now, so I might as well do what it was made for. Like I said, I was tracking an elk when the weather turned."

Jack's face fell. "I ruined your hunt, didn't I?" _It seems to be my day to ruin things._

"No," Alpha smiled and dusted off a fallen tree to sit down, and picked the hardening clumps of snow out of her thick fur. "This was a wily beast. I think he sensed that something was 'off'. He won his liberty this night. I was about to leave, maybe try my luck with the whitetail deer. But it's about time for my dinner break anyway. Have you eaten? Roy packed more sandwiches than I'm likely to eat, and I'd hate to have them go to waste."

"Aw, your husband made you a lunch." Jack teased.

"We take turns. You hungry or not? Going once, going twice..."

Jack realized that he had been in a haze all that day and had forgotten to eat, and he nodded as he joined her on the fallen tree and accepted the sandwich she passed him. "Thank you. Roast beef?"

"Venison."

"Oh," Jack took a big bite out of his sandwich, and while it wasn't something he would have purposely sought out, right at that moment it really hit the spot! "Let's not tell Santa's reindeer about this."

"Oh, we don't hunt reindeer anymore out of respect for Santa and his team. Whitetails, mule deer, and elk are fair game, though."

"What about moose?"

"No, they're more trouble than they're worth. And I'd need help lugging it home."

"Oh, that makes sense."

The mention of Santa brought back memories of when he took over while his heart was still frozen. It still felt odd to remember things that technically hadn't happened, but with what had taken place earlier that day with Curtis, they might just as well have. Jack accepted the cup of tea Alpha had poured him (she drank directly from the thermos, but gave him the plastic red 'mug' to use), but it rapidly cooled in his glacial hands, and before long it had frozen solid. He blinked at it in dismay and tapped it against the tree trunk to verify what he already knew. He had unintentionally frozen his drink. "Oh! Oh, dear...how did that happen?"

Alpha shuddered a little as the cold penetrated her pelt. The air around Jack really _was_ freezing! And when he handed back his frozen tea and buried his head in his hands, she knew she couldn't just let this go. She would try one more time, and if he still didn't want to talk, she would drop it. But she wouldn't try here! She was freezing her hackles off. "C'mon, let's go."

Jack Frost looked up, and Alpha thought she saw him flick something away. Whatever it was, it landed on the frozen tree with a tiny 'plink!' and bounced off. "Where to?"

"To 'The Pale Horse'. I'll treat you to a drink. If ye promise not to turn the place into an ice rink."

The cold that had been building inside Jack's heart since early that afternoon abated somewhat. _At least __**one**__ person doesn't hate me today._ He smiled, but he couldn't let it go without making a joke. "Won't Roy be mad?"

"Why would he be mad?"

"Well, he might get the wrong idea. I don't like to _brag,_ but I used to be quite the ladies man, you know." He smirked, but as soon as it was out of his mouth he regretted it. Alpha and the Tooth Fairy were the 'power couple' of The Hollow, and even though Jack had shamelessly flirted with both Carol and Sylvia, this was before he had grown a conscience. And while he did like Alpha very much, he didn't like her _that_ way. Especially not the way she currently was, looking like a giant bipedal dog! _I just put my foot in my mouth, didn't I?_

Alpha merely did a double take and gave a rough chuckle. "No, 'course not!" _And you __**do**__ like to brag, _she thought, but didn't say.

Jack lifted his chin and put his fists on his hips. Couldn't she have just been the tiniest bit more diplomatic there? "I was joking. You're not my type anyway."

Alpha caught on to the fact that she had pricked his ego a little bit, and she shook her head. "Jack...As flattering as your interest would be, I'm spoken for, as you well know. I'm afraid I must regretfully decline. Now, stop making things weird and get over here." She turned from him without waiting for a response (and to hide an amused smile) and conjured up a Fairy Ring.

Jack got up and wordlessly joined her, and he followed her to 'The Pale Horse' after they arrived at The Hollow.

They had added to the building since the first time he had seen it several years ago, and it was now a restaurant as well as a bar. The bell still hung over the door, and it tinkled cheerfully when they stepped over the threshold and into the warmth of Punky's bar. The food served there was unique in that it had been purchased, rather than grown or hunted, and the novelty of buffalo wings, nachos, and loaded tater tots had yet to wear off. Jack sniffed appreciatively, but the sandwich Alpha had given him had filled him up. _Maybe next time._

There was a loud crunching sound to Jack's left, and he saw an Orc chowing down on a plate of wings, bones and all. The Sprite made a slight face as the Orc sucked the marrow from one of the bones, and turned away again. _Or not._

The juke box was still there, but it had been joined by a karaoke machine, and Harry the Sasquach was currently belting out a passable rendition of Johnny Cash's 'A Boy Named Sue'.

"Interesting choice," Jack muttered as they threaded their way through the tables and headed for the bar.

Punky had required extra help after expanding his business, and a young Fairy girl with blonde hair and fuschia-colored wings was currently mixing drinks while Punky went into the back with a handful of food orders for the cooks. She grinned prettily when she looked up and spotted Alpha and Jack. "Hi, welcome to 'The Pale Horse'. What can I get you?"

Alpha smiled back. "Evening, Julia. Jack, what would ye like?"

Jack turned on 'the famous Frost charm' and smiled at Julia. "One 'Winter Wonderland', _por favor._"

"I...sorry?" Julia looked uncertain. "I don't...think that's on the menu. What's in it?"

"Oh, it's simple. One ounce cream of coconut; I know you have _that, _because I had a piña colada the last time I was here. One and a half ounces vanilla vodka, and one and a half ounces Creme de Cocoa. You put all of that into a cocktail shaker with some ice, strain it, and _voila!_ One 'Winter Wonderland'."

"Coming right up! Alpha, anything for you?"

"Ooh, that _does _sound good. Make that two, please."

"Right away!" Julia got to work making their drinks.

Alpha smiled again. The girl seemed so much happier here! But right now she herself was here with someone who was _not_ happy, and she wanted to know why. She paid for the drinks, which they took to a table near the back of the room. They sat and sipped in silence for a little while, and the Orc left his empty plate and went up to sing karaoke after Harry finished.

Jack didn't recognize the song, but he cringed. "Some people shouldn't be allowed _near_ those things..."

Alpha flattened her ears. "He's normally very good, but the song is a few octaves too high for his range."

"If you say so." Jack sipped his drink again. "How come _you _never get up there and sing? It's fun!"

"I prefer to listen," Alpha gave him a look that suggested she wasn't only talking about the music.

"You brought me here to pump me for information, didn't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Alpha grinned, showing her teeth, then shook her head. "No...I'm merely opening the door. You can walk through it or not, as ye choose."

Jack leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs, swirling his drink and looking into his glass like it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. "It doesn't matter what I 'choose', Alpha. The things I've done always catch up to me in the end..."

"Hmm," Alpha tapped her claw against the side of her glass. "Aye...sooner or later, everyone's bill comes due. So...what did ye do? Not harboring a fugitive now, am I?"

For a long moment, Jack continued to stare into his drink. Then, coming to a decision, he finally put down his glass and folded his hands on the table. "What if I told you that I created an alternate timeline where I became Santa and turned the North Pole into a theme park?"

Alpha looked pointedly at his drink. "That _is _your first o' the evening, is it not?"

"Don't...just...don't make jokes. I'm serious." Jack rubbed his face with both hands, then ran his hands through his spiky, blue-white hair. "I tricked Curtis into giving me information, and then I tricked Santa. In between doing those two things, I also froze Neil and Laura and locked Lucy in the closet with them."

Alpha grew more serious and nodded. "I did hear about the freezing thing. But they forgave you, didn't they?"

"Yes, they did. Not that I _deserved _it. But every now and then, someone will 'jokingly' mention it. Because, you know, they just _have _to rub it in, that I was such a horrible person before. And I thought...maybe...now that I've changed, I could get _away _from that." He shook his head and gulped down half of his drink before continuing. "People keep going back to it and focusing on what I _did, _but no one really understood _why._"

"Then _tell _me."

Jack shook his head looked back over at the karaoke machine. A Witch and a Vampire were now singing 'As Long As You're Mine' from the musical 'Wicked', and doing a fairly decent job. They seemed to be a couple, and this was another sore point with him. Santa had a wife. Santa _had _to have a wife, or he couldn't be Santa anymore. At the time, he had only wanted admiration for the sake of his ego, but now? It would be nice to have that kind of connection with someone. Like the connection Alpha had with the Tooth Fairy, for instance. It was almost gross, how lovey-dovey those two sometimes were. Even their ward, Myles, was known to roll his eyes and complain about it from time to time.

"Jack...If ye want an impartial listener, I haven't been hurt by ye. If you want to talk, I'll listen."

Jack sighed, sipping his drink again. "I just got tired of playing second fiddle to Santa! I make winter weather where Mother Nature tells me to, for the most part, and all I hear about is, 'Oh, it's so cold, I hate having to clean off my car'! Or, 'I slipped and broke my ankle, I _hate_ winter'! An inconveniently timed cold snap, and then I'm in the hot seat for crop damage. Kids get a long stretch of snow days? They complain about having to make them up during the summer! And worst of all...I never set out to _hurt _anyone, but icy roads are _dangerous, _and the seasons still have to happen as they were meant to happen. _I'm_ not allowed to make the final call on how the weather fluctuates, and I got myself into hot water when I tried that. And sometimes doing my job means three feet of snow and icicles you shouldn't walk under. Something about nature harmony, and blah blah blah..."

"Mm-hmm," Alpha nodded, frowning. She hadn't even thought of that! "Jack, _all _seasons have their hazards. Hurricanes, typhoons, deadly heat waves..."

"You don't _get_ it, Alpha." Jack grew more talkative as the alcohol began to kick in, and he gestured for Julia to bring him another, taking out his wallet to pay for it this time. While Julia got to work, he got to venting. "You've never gotten excited to watch the weather report and gloat over giving the little nippers a three day vacation, thinking about how happy they'll be and how much they'll love you for it, only to see a story about a ten car pileup, and a news reporter saying 'Jack Frost strikes again'. Not that he actually _believes _in me. I mean, who _does _these days? Meanwhile, Santa's in the clear. What does _he_ do? He gives presents, gets to gorge himself on cookies and milk one night every year. Everyone _loves _the guy, but do they love me? No! I'm just the guy who causes accidents and frostbite, and...ah, thank you, Julia."

Jack broke off his tirade, and it was almost like flipping a switch. He smiled and accepted the cocktail, and he didn't resume his speech when she left.

"You want people to admire you." Alpha nodded.

"Well, who doesn't?" Jack mumbled. "The weather is what it is. Except for that time when I tried to upstage Santa by making winter weather where it had no business being, I was just doing my job. And people either don't think of me at all, or they _hate _me for it."

"If they knew you as you are now, I don't think that would be the case."

"No..." Jack's voice broke, but he kept his composure as he took a long swig of his drink. "Not after today. Now I know I'll never be truly forgiven, because I did what I did, and people _remember._"

Alpha shook her head; there was something she wasn't quite getting. Something must have happened earlier that day to have him this upset. He almost seemed to be on the verge of tears, and Alpha wondered if they shouldn't have stayed in that forest after all. It was much colder, but at least it wasn't quite as public! She asked, gently, "What brought this on, Jack?"

Jack sighed and rubbed his face again. To his credit, he remained in control. "I was talking to Curtis earlier today, and he can be a bit...well, _curt._ And I don't know how the conversation got to this point, but he figured out that I tricked him into telling me about the Hall of Snow Globes. And he somehow put two and two together, confronted me about the other timeline, and the next thing I know I'm getting screamed at and all the Elves are crowding around to see what's going on."

Alpha gave a low whistle and shook her head. Now his mood was beginning to make a lot of sense!

"And they all backed _away_ from me..." Jack's face twisted a bit as if he was about to cry, but he held it in. "So, I left."

"I'm sorry."

Jack finished his second drink and ordered a third.

Alpha cocked her head and remarked, "I'm not one to police another person's drinking habits, but I can tell ye from experience that drinking too much in such a mindset generally doesn't help."

"I'm gonna do it anyway," he retorted, burying his head in his arms.

"Aye..."

Whether he was crying or not, Alpha couldn't tell, and she didn't comment on it. She simply reached over and gave him a pat on the back. He didn't respond at all, and Alpha wondered if he had fallen asleep.

Julia brought his third drink to the table, a look of concern pinching her pretty face, and Alpha discreetly gestured that she had things under control as she paid for the drink.

Jack began to talk without raising his head, and his voice was a dull monotone. "I can't even blame everything on my frozen heart. I wasn't out of control at all. I knew exactly what I was doing. And at the time, I enjoyed it. It was _fun _to get away with things, just because I could, and it felt _great _to have the spotlight on _me_ for once."

"Mm-hmm..."

"And I wasn't sorry. Not until my thaw, when I could _feel_ things. I felt things before, but it was all for _me._ I didn't care about hurting other people if it got me what I wanted, only keeping myself out of trouble. I was good at it, too. But now?" He still wouldn't lift his head.

"Now you're sorry, and you're dealin' with the consequences."

"No, I was _always _dealing with the consequences," Jack lifted his head, and his eyes were dry, but when he brushed the tabletop Alpha thought she heard tiny pieces of ice hitting the floor. He went on, "Getting in trouble wasn't a new thing for me. Being angry and disgusted at myself, though? That's what I can't seem to get used to."

Alpha handed him his fresh drink when he absentmindedly reached for hers, and watched him chug it down. "Whether or not you're used to it, it's never pleasant. If ye feel this way for making a mistake, you're not so likely to repeat it."

Jack gave a noncommittal shrug. "I guess not. So, how do I fix this? How can I make it go away?"

Alpha smiled sadly and shook her head. "You _can't. _The past is what it is, like the weather. But you _can_ learn from your mistakes going forward. You've been accepted and embraced by the Council and by the Elves, and we all know you're trying."

"They all backed _away,_ Alpha!" Jack picked up his cup again, realized it was empty, then set it back down. He didn't want anymore, which was probably a good thing.

"Aye. They all learned something they hadn't been aware of, and it likely took them by surprise. But you _have _changed. And Curtis is...well, he's Curtis. He's very prideful, and surely The Great Jack Frost can understand about pride."

"I don't _feel_ great."

"Well, you _did_ just slam three cocktails in rapid succession, chum."

"It's not the booze, I don't feel sick. I just...ugh, I _hate _feeling guilty. I hate being _hated!_"

"_I _don't hate you. And Santa trusts you. Curtis will probably smart for a bit, then he'll get over it. Did you apologize at all?"

Jack shook his head, looking ready to fall asleep. "I didn't get a chance. He stormed off before I could get a word in edgewise."

"Try again tomorrow, then." Alpha suggested. "Face it head-on, because it's not going to go away. And if he needs time or just won't accept your apology? Well...then you'll know going forward, and ye won't have to dread it."

"Yes, Mom." Jack Frost rolled his eyes, then snickered. "Can I give you a hug?"

"Oh, you _are _drunk, aren't you?" She laughed.

"No, just...thankful."

Alpha shook her head and gave him the hug he requested. "Go home, Jack. Sleep this off and start fresh tomorrow. _Can_ you make it home all right? We can put you up in one of the empty houses for the night."

Jack shook his head and got to his feet, and his balance was perfect. "My tolerance isn't _that_ low. Thanks, Alpha."

"You're welcome. Let me know how it goes." Alpha got to her feet as well and left a tip for Julia. It was time to resume her hunt.

* * *

The next day, Jack Frost took something for his headache and went to the North Pole to take a different sort of medicine. The Elves didn't glare at him or give him a wide berth like he expected them to, but they were hard at work, so he wasn't sure if their lack of a reaction meant anything. At any rate, Curtis was the one he was there to see.

He nearly bumped into Bernard as they both rounded the same corner from opposite directions, and the Elf frowned in mild annoyance and side-stepped him. "Excuse me."

"Oh, Bernard, have you seen Curtis?" Jack called after him.

The Elf turned to look back over his shoulder, then smirked. "Oh, it's about _that._ He's in Santa's office. You can just go in. The door's open."

"Does _everyone _know about what happened?" Jack put his hands on his hips.

"Pretty much." Bernard shrugged and continued on his way.

"Oh, _good..._" Jack clapped softly, then his fake smile melted away and he sullenly made his way to Santa's office. When he got there, Curtis looked crabby and Santa looked...well, he actually looked quite unconcerned about whatever it was that Curtis had just been telling him. Jack cleared his throat and tapped his knuckles against the doorjamb.

Both Santa and Curtis turned to look, and Curtis broke eye contact immediately and stared at a nearby Christmas tree.

"Jack, come in. Shut the door, will ya?"

Jack did as he was asked, and he was glad that Santa spoke first, because he didn't know how to proceed!

"I heard about what happened yesterday. It's all stuff I know, so I'm not gonna harp about it. As far as _I'm_ concerned, it's all water under the bridge." Santa looked over at Curtis, and the tips of the Elf's pointed ears were turning red. "Curtis? Do you have something to say?"

Curtis glared at Jack. "Does _he?_"

Jack bit his tongue. _I earned this, _he told himself. "I do, actually. I came to apologize."

The Elf was unconvinced and unmoved. "Do you know what you could have done? What you _did_ do?"

"Yes..." Jack looked down. There was no facade of charm, no 'acting'. It was time to do the right thing and face his mistakes. Now that he was here, he supposed he might as well follow through. "I do. Curtis...I _am _sorry. I endangered Christmas as we know it. I hurt a lot of people. I humiliated _you._ My reasons don't matter. I...I did a terrible thing, _several _terrible things. And I'm sorry. I wish I could take it all back, but I can't, and..."

Jack trailed off and looked away.

Curtis's glare became less severe, and he sighed and folded his arms. "Apology accepted. And I apologize for yelling at you in such a public setting. It was unprofessional of me."

The Sprite looked back at Curtis in surprise. _It can't be __**that**__ easy!_

Curtis glowered again as Jack smiled and took a step forward. "But if you think a hug is about to happen, you better think again!"

"I was going to offer a _handshake, _but if you're going to be nippy..." Jack held out a hand.

Curtis eyed the hand suspiciously, then shook it as briefly as he could get away with before turning to his boss. "Santa, we're falling behind schedule again, and we _really_ need you out on the floor today to boost morale."

"Go on, I'll meet you there." Santa watched the Elf leave, then turned to Jack. "Well, that went better than I thought it would."

"Really? I wasn't worried about it at all!" Jack said airily, and he had mixed feelings about how easily the lie rolled off his tongue. Santa seemed to buy it, and Jack supposed that a little white lie was fine if it was only to preserve his dignity!

* * *

Alpha, Tooth Fairy, and Myles stopped by The Pale Horse for a family meal before Tooth Fairy would have to leave for work. Alpha was in her human form now, and she pointed to the slightly raised stage. "Ah, I had a feeling he'd be here."

Jack Frost effortlessly held his audience's attention as he crooned the lyrics to Frank Sinatra's 'My Way', and no one turned to look when the bell above the door jingled.

Tooth Fairy nodded with a wry smile. "He always _did_ like being the center of attention. I'll say one thing for him; he can sing."

Myles, who was still a gangly teenager, went up to the bar to order for the three of them, and he didn't even have to look at the menu. "Hi, Punky."

"Hey, Myles. What'll it be?" The pumpkin-headed mannequin clicked his pen and got ready to jot it down.

"Um, okay. An order of loaded tater tots, two orders of nachos, a plate of hot wings, and-"

"Ten, twenty, or fifty?"

"Ummm...twenty, I guess? They're for Dad. Oh! And three hot fudge sundaes for dessert."

"All right. What'll you have to drink?" Punky's carved mouth curved into a smile. The boy was finally coming out of his shell! There was a time when he couldn't even make eye contact.

"Three waters, please." Myles turned to go.

"Hey, buddy, aren't you forgetting something?" Punky's grin stretched wider and he held up a wooden hand and rubbed his fingers and thumb together.

"Oh, right!" Myles blushed and paid for their meal, and he joined his adoptive family at the table to wait for their food. At some point, Jack Frost had joined them, and Myles was suddenly shy again. He liked Jack well enough, but he had thought it would be just them! "Hi, Jack..."

"Myles, hey! I was just trying to talk the parental units into going up there and singing something, but Alpha here's being a party pooper."

"Och, I am _not!_"

Tooth Fairy snickered. "Come on, Alpha. It'll be fun."

Jack pointed at Alpha and sang, "Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you..."

"Jack..." Alpha warned.

Myles was smothering a laugh now. "What are you afraid of? I've heard you sing, so it's not like you _can't._"

Alpha wasn't about to admit that she had stage fright, and with the three of them looking expectantly at her, she lifted her chin. "Very well. But _I _get to pick the song."

Tooth Fairy grinned at her as they got to their feet. "Should I worry?"

Instead of answering, Alpha merely winked at him before turning to Jack. "Oh! Did ye do the thing?"

Jack blinked, unsure what she was getting at. "What thing?"

"You know, the _thing._ How'd it go?"

Jack's face cleared and he smiled. "Everything's fine now. Thanks. Now, get up there and sing!"

"Don't rush me," Alpha took Tooth Fairy's hand and led him up to the karaoke machine, then selected Sonny and Cher's 'I Got You Babe' with a rather malicious grin.

Tooth Fairy scrunched up his face. "Ohhh, _no!_"

"Oh, _yes!_"

"I _hate _this song!" He laughed.

"So, you can pick the next one. Cue's coming; ready?"

"No. Let's do it."

While they tried to get through the song without dissolving into laughter (and failed miserably), Myles stuffed himself with tater tots and began to speak before remembering that it was rude to speak with one's mouth full. He chugged some water to wash it down, winced as it got stuck halfway down, and thumped his chest with a fist a couple times before he drank some more water and tried again. "I can't believe you got her to go up there."

Jack helped himself to some of Alpha's nachos. "It's easy if you know what buttons to push."

"She'll get back at you for the 'party pooper' thing, though. _And_ for eating her nachos; are you _crazy?_"

"I already ordered some to replace them, and at least they'll be warm. Even _I _can't stand cold nachos." Jack wiped his mouth as the song ended, then groaned theatrically at the song Tooth Fairy had picked for their next one; '(I've Had) The Time Of My Life'. "Ugh...really?"

Myles sighed in resignation and helped himself to a nacho from Alpha's (or, rather, Jack's) plate. "Really. One time, that song came on the radio when they were making dinner, and next thing you know he holds out his hand and they're dancing around the kitchen. Maybe when I'm older I'll understand."

_Understanding isn't having, _Jack thought sadly, but as Alpha and Tooth Fairy ended the song with a kiss he had to smile. "They _are _cute, though, aren't they?"

Myles pretended to vomit on the floor.

_Note:__ Fun fact! Martin Short played a wedding planner in 'Father of the Bride', and he was also in 'Father of the Bride II', which is where the 'every party has a pooper' line came from. The movies are pretty good, and Martin's character there is pretty funny!_


End file.
